BETHLEHEM, Pa. - A former nightclub was demolished Saturday on Bethlehem's Southside, a day after a partial building collapse at the property.
The former Casa Blanca at 946 Evans Street suffered a partial collapse of an exterior wall, with bricks cascading onto a silver car parked at the corner of Evans and State Streets.
There were no reported injuries.
Around 8 a.m. Friday, a portion of State Street was sealed off near the collapsed structure. Three men who said they were part of a construction crew were on the scene to assess the damage.
- A wall of the former Casa Blanca nightclub came crashing down Friday morning in Bethlehem
- The building was empty and no one was injured
- The property is slated for redevelopment as an apartment complex
One of the men, who didn't want to give his name or the name of the construction company, said the heavy rain earlier in the week washed out the foundation of the building, compromising what was left of the empty structure.
"You have pressure from the hill and all that dirt and all that moisture and it's just pushing," he said, gesturing to what was left of the building. "This old foundation ... they didn't put footers in underneath the stone. They just put the stone on top of clay."
He estimated the building was around 110 years old and would have to be torn down.
The remaining structure was demolished on Saturday.
Records indicate the property will be redeveloped into an apartment building with at least 13 units as part of the planning.
City records list Artefact, Inc. as the principal architect of the project. A call to Artefact made Friday morning was not returned.
